


dog-eared pages

by minty (mintyyfresh)



Series: minty's sbi fics [4]
Category: Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: 5+1 Things, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Brother Feels, Brotherly Bonding, Domestic, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Family Dynamics, Family Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, I'll add more tags as I think of them, Implied/Referenced Abuse, No shipping, POV Technoblade (Video Blogging RPF), Protective Technoblade (Video Blogging RPF), Sleepy Bois Inc Angst, Sleepy Bois Inc as Family, Technoblade is Bad at Feelings (Video Blogging RPF), Technoblade-centric (Video Blogging RPF), TommyInnit-centric (Video Blogging RPF), Twins Wilbur Soot & Technoblade, Wilbur Soot and Technoblade and TommyInnit are Siblings, but he’s trying, cuz we're decent fucking human beings, i'm trying to do a different no beta thing every time LMAO, no beta we die like phil to a baby zombie, some canon compliance ofc
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-12
Updated: 2021-02-12
Packaged: 2021-03-18 14:28:27
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,110
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29370060
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mintyyfresh/pseuds/minty
Summary: His floppy straw hat was pulled low over his eyes as he leaned back in the lawn chair, sipping an iced tea and watching his crops grow. The fields extended out far past where human eyes could see, gentle breezes swaying the potato stalks in every direction. The dirt beneath him was rich and fertile, releasing an earthy smell into the air around his seat. The sun warmed his face and hands, making the iced tea taste even better than it had before. It was peaceful. It was serene.It was rudely interrupted by a call from Tommy.-----Or, five times Technoblade refuses to say Tommy's his brother, and the one time he admits it.
Relationships: Technoblade & TommyInnit (Video Blogging RPF), Wilbur Soot & Technoblade & TommyInnit & Phil Watson
Series: minty's sbi fics [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2074380
Comments: 52
Kudos: 455





	dog-eared pages

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [chase the blues away](https://archiveofourown.org/works/28992984) by [meridies](https://archiveofourown.org/users/meridies/pseuds/meridies). 



> hey, dear readers, I'm back with more SBI! 
> 
> this fic took forever to do, but I'm glad to put it out and move on to new projects now. i hope you enjoy!
> 
> also, to give credit where credit is due: this work is partially inspired by the amazing meridies' "chase the blues away". meridies is one of my favorite authors and biggest inspirations on this entire website. i am begging you to check out the work after reading this, and to check out every other one of meridies' works. 
> 
> and, of course, if you enjoy this, considering checking out my other sbi fics! they're all in one series and completely not connected to one another :)

1.

“PHIIIIIIIIL!”

“Shut up, shut up, shut  _ up! _ ” Techno smacked his brother across the shoulder hurriedly. “You’re going to get us both in trouble!”

Tommy made eye contact with Techno for a moment, pausing his shrieking. Techno breathed a sigh of relief, thanking whatever higher power that Tommy decided to be mature for once in his life.

Clearly, he spoke too soon. Tommy’s face lit up with an evil grin, blowing a raspberry right in Techno’s face.

“Phil!” he hollered. “Phil, Techno hit me!”

“No, I didn’t!” Techno cried, trying desperately to muffle the boy’s shouts with his hand. “I didn’t, he was just being  _ annoying _ like usual!” Tommy frowned.

“No I wasn’t!”

  
  
“Yes you were!”

“Nuh uh!”   


“Uh huh!”   


“Boys!”

Uh oh. 

Philza had entered the room.

“What is going on here?” The man’s hands perched high on his hips, lips pursed and eyebrows furrowed. Techno could have laughed at the sheer ridiculousness of the pose if he knew it wasn’t directed at him. But it was, so he shut up, bowing his head in the guilt of his father’s disappointment. Obviously, he was the only child in the room who felt any sort of shame.

“Techno wouldn’t let me read his books,” Tommy complained, stomping a foot on the ground. “He wouldn’t  _ share _ . You’re always saying we need to  _ share _ , aren’t you, big man?” Phil raised an eyebrow at the older boy, whose head shot up at the accusation, glaring at his younger brother. 

“Techno? Is this true?”

  
“Every time he borrows my books, he dog ears all the pages and gets them all stained!” Techno protested. “It’s not fair! He can’t even read! He gets away with everything just because he’s the youngest.”

“No I don’t!”

  
“Yes, you do!”

  
“No, I don’t!”

“Boys!” Phil interrupted. He pinched the bridge of his nose. “Is this how brothers treat each other?”

  
“He is  _ not _ my brother,” Techno announced hotly. “A  _ brother _ wouldn’t act like a  _ jerk _ all the time.”

“Well, a brother would  _ share _ like Dad tells us to!” Tommy said indignantly. “A brother would be fair to his brother!” Phil sighed, scrubbing his eyes with his fists. 

“Techno, you’re going to read Tommy a story. Right now,” he said. Techno opened his mouth in protest, but Phil cut him off before he got the chance to speak. “Tommy will not touch your books. He gets a story, and your books stay safe. It’s a compromise.” 

The two boys made wary eye contact.

“What story do you want to hear?” Techno asked, guarded. 

“Probably one of the myths you like to tell,” Tommy replied, just as skeptical.

Phil rolled his eyes at the theatrics. 

“Read him a story, then you two can get some time to yourselves. God knows you need it,” he added under his breath. The man pointed at his eyes, then at the boys, a clear  _ I’m watching you _ gesture, before carefully backing out of the room and pulling the door shut. Tommy and Techno looked at each other, unease mirrored across both of their faces. 

“I’ll get the Theseus story,” Techno huffed, finally breaking the awkward silence. 

“I like that one best,” retorted Tommy. 

“I know you do.”

And though the atmosphere was cold, and the two boys were irritated with each other, Phil would return later that afternoon to see his sons curled up together in an armchair, deep in sleep. The book laid forgotten on Techno’s lap, his arms around Tommy, both looking peaceful at last. Phil smiled to himself. He knew his kids would work out their bickering. They always did.

After all, for two boys that “weren’t brothers”, they certainly acted like it.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------

2.

His floppy straw hat was pulled low over his eyes as he leaned back in the lawn chair, sipping an iced tea and watching his crops grow. The fields extended out far past where human eyes could see, gentle breezes swaying the potato stalks in every direction. The dirt beneath him was rich and fertile, releasing an earthy smell into the air around his seat. The sun warmed his face and hands, making the iced tea taste even better than it had before. It was peaceful. It was serene. 

It was rudely interrupted by a call from Tommy. 

Techno pulled his buzzing communicator from his overall pocket and sighed deeply. This wasn’t a call he wanted to pick up. 

His willpower wasn’t strong enough, though, and he regretfully pressed the button to answer.

“Hello?”

“BLADE!” The tinny noise from the box crackled and popped with poor connection, but the voice was unmistakable. 

Techno winced.

“Hey, Tommy.”

“Blade, my friend! I need your help on this new server I’m on!” Techno pinched the bridge of his nose with a groan. Of course Tommy needed his help. Did he ever call for anything else?

“Toms, I’m busy,” he grumbled. “Don’t you know I’m fighting...well, that I’m in a war?” He eyed his fields, stretching far across the horizon with unharvested produce.    
  


“As am I, my friend!” Tommy bellowed, loud over the fizzle of static. “Wilbur and I—”

“Wait, wait, wait,” Techno cut in. “Wilbur’s with you?” Tommy hummed an affirmative. 

“I mean, he’s gone a little off the deep end, you know, but still our President! Revolution can fuck ya up in the head a bit, happens to the best of us. Anyways, we need you on our side here, big man! Let me get you the address.” Techno knitted his eyebrows. 

Regardless of whether he knew what was going on or not, revolution was always tempting. It had been a long time since Techno had gotten the opportunity for some good old-fashioned anarchy. He bit the dry skin covering his bottom lip and weighed the options. An uprising would be fun, but victory by potato still took precedence. 

“Tommy, I’m fighting my own battles right now. I’m not getting involved in yours.”

There was a silence over the receiver. Techno paused. 

“Tommy?”

“Techno, do you remember the story you told me when we were kids?” Techno rolled his eyes. 

“You’re gonna have to be a bit more specific, Tommy,” he answered. Tommy took a deep breath, his exhale a fuss of static through the communicator. 

“The old myths,” Tommy clarified. His voice had taken on a far more serious tone, which was completely abnormal. 

Something must be really wrong. 

“Yeah, I remember,” Techno replied. He chewed the inside of his cheek, waiting for the boy to speak. 

“Techno, I…” Tommy trailed off, swallowing hard. “I don’t want to be selfish. I don’t want to steal you away, I know you’re doing your own thing, but...those myths, yeah? This is my Minotaur.”

There was a pause. Techno’s eyes raked over his lovely, lovely fields one more time. He sighed deeply.

His potatoes would have to wait. 

“Theseus, I’m on my way.”

Techno could hear the boy’s overwhelming relief through the phone. “I knew you’d pull through. Brothers don’t leave each other behind, yeah?” Techno scoffed. 

“If I remember correctly, a brother wouldn’t take his brother’s books and deface them with soda stains,” he said, the corners of his lips curling into a smile. Tommy laughed out loud. 

“Well, if  _ I _ remember correctly, a brother would share with his younger brother whom he loves very much,” he replied cheekily. Techno rolled his eyes, affection swelling in his chest.

“You’re no brother of mine, weirdo.” 

“Well, you weren’t my brother first. So there.”

“Nerd.”

“Bitch boy.”

“Child.”

“Fuckface.”

Techno tilted his head back, taking in the warm sun shining on his farm for one final moment. 

“I’ll see you soon, Toms.”

The reply came in softly. “See you soon, Techno.” 

Techno slipped the communicator back into the pocket of his worn overalls. He wiped his hands off on his thighs, then allowed himself a single sharp-toothed grin. 

It had been a long, long while, but now, it was time to gear up for war. For bloodshed. For revolution.

For Tommy.

Techno couldn’t wait.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------

3.

When he had joined Pogtopia, it had been a harsh contrast to his days in the warm sun of his farm. The place was dingy, rank, and always a little damp, constantly smelling of mildew and gunpowder for some bizarre reason. The stone walls always managed to make him feel claustrophobic, and regardless of how hard he tried, he never was able to feel totally relaxed there. 

Another uncomfortable part of Pogtopia, naturally, was Wilbur.

Techno never thought he’d see a day where his twin unnerved him, but the Wilbur that was in that underground chasm was not the Wilbur Techno once knew. He was manic, unseeing, eyes constantly glazed over with the prospect of violence. Techno never poked around long enough to be sure, but he always had a sneaking suspicion that the scent of gunpowder that clung to the walls of Pogtopia was from him, and him alone. 

Of course, as he looked out at the razed battlefield, withers soaring through the air to a chorus of screams, he knew that his hunch was right all along. 

Wilbur had rigged his country with TNT, and he had been the one to finally bring it to its end. In a way, it was poetic, and Techno scoffed to himself. Of course it was all some big metaphor. Wilbur wouldn't have let himself lead a coup without drama. 

He was jarred out of his reminiscing, however, when he spotted two figures standing in the ruins of what once was the Presidential podium. He squinted, taking off his glasses and wiping grime from them, as the people slowly came into focus. 

His stomach dropped. 

Philza Minecraft, his father, kneeled to the floor over Wilbur. A dark stain coated the boy's chest, making a muddy puddle around his body. 

Philza stood up. 

Wilbur did not. 

Techno blinked, then pulled out his trident to go closer, landing on the ledge with a brief stumble. 

“Phil?”

The man turned around, eyes darker than Techno had ever seen them. He swallowed hard.

“Phil, what happened?”

His father didn’t answer, and Techno took it upon himself to drop to his knees beside his twin brother. Softly, as if terrified he would shatter under his fingers, Techno reached out to Wilbur’s chest. 

It was cold to the touch. 

“Phil,” Techno repeated, voice low and hoarse. “What did you do?”

Philza closed his eyes, then opened them, steeling himself. Techno thought he might never get an answer. 

Another moment passed.

“He begged me to kill him, Tech.”

Techno’s fingernails dug into his palms. 

“He wasn’t Wilbur anymore. I don’t know what the hell happened to him, but he was begging me, and there was no light in his eyes, and it all happened so fast…” Phil trailed off, clenching his teeth, then kneeled down beside Techno. With a gentle hand, he reached out, and he closed his son’s eyes.

Techno thought he might be sick. But that nauseous feeling only got worse when he heard the voice behind him. 

“Dad? Techno?”

It was the voice of a child forced through far too much, forced to see things no person should see. He had been through hell and back, through war and death and tyranny.

And Techno had never heard him sound as lost as he did in that moment.

“Tommy?” Techno rose to his feet, dusting himself off. “Where have you been?”

Tommy didn’t answer. His eyes were locked on Wilbur’s closed ones, tears streaming down his cheeks like a waterfall. 

Techno stepped forward to brush them away with his thumb. 

Tommy recoiled back. 

“How…” Tommy sniffled, voice cracking. “How could you have done this?”

Techno blanched. “Done this? It was Phil, Tommy. Wilbur asked him—no, begged him to!” Tommy shook his head, jaw tightening. His fists clenched. 

“Phil did the final act. But it was you that started it all,” he said. His voice wobbled, and as if to prove his strength, he stepped forward, and shoved Techno in the chest, hard. The older boy stumbled backward, an incredulous expression on his face. 

“ _ You _ spawned the withers.”

“Yes, but—”

“ _ You _ shot the fireworks.”

“Tommy, I—”

“No!” the boy screamed. “Listen to me, Techno!  _ He died ‘cause of you! _ ”

And the rock ledge fell quiet, air only punctuated with sniffles from the youngest son. 

One family, devastated, mirroring the shambles of the world around them. 

Techno was the one to break the silence. He turned to his father, who had been suspiciously quiet.

“Phil, this wasn’t my—”

He was cut off. 

“No, Techno,” Phil said sharply. “I’m sick and tired of having to fucking fix everything for you kids. Solve the damn problem among yourselves.” He sighed, pushing a hand through his hair, then turned to the wreck of a country in front of them. Silver-lined wings extended, then beat once, twice, three times, and their father was gone.

Only his three sons were left behind. And one would not be taking part in the conversation. 

“Techno, I want you to leave me alone,” Tommy said bitterly. “I never want to fuckin’ talk to you again.”

“Tommy, I lost one brother today,” Techno pleaded. “Don’t make me lose the other one too.” Tommy laughed a biting, joyless laugh. 

“Get out of my country, Techno.” And with that, the younger boy picked up his older brother by the armpits, supporting the dead weight with a choked huff of exertion, and began hobbling down to the rest of his allies. Techno stood and watched, expressionless, as the distant figures began to yell and run towards the child and the body he bore.

Techno turned from the scene as something in his chest screamed out to be noticed. He ignored the feeling, and took big strides towards who knows where, before breaking into a sprint. 

Fine. If Tommy didn’t want to see him, didn’t want to call him his brother, then that was fine by him. He was going to retire; retire from bloodshed, from hurting people, from getting too attached and feeling his heart shatter in his chest. He was done with it all. In fact, he was glad to be free of the burden. He didn’t want it anyways. 

But as he trekked through the snow, spinning lies to tell himself, he knew. 

Techno had no brothers left.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------

4.

He had gone undetected for weeks on end. L’Manberg drama stayed away, his father stayed away, and Techno had been living peacefully in retirement. He was pretty sure that people still didn’t like him, that Tubbo was President, and that Tommy was exiled from L’Manberg, but outside of that, he was completely out of the loop. So, of all people to show up unannounced to his detached, snow-covered cabin, he hadn’t expected Tommy. 

It didn’t really matter, though. Tommy certainly had a way with appearing where he was least wanted. Right now, that place was Techno’s residence, and as much as he didn’t want to talk to the kid, he couldn’t just leave him out to freeze. So he invited him in, and now, the two were awkwardly standing in his doorway, avoiding eye contact or the start of any possible conversation.

Techno gruffly pulled off his coat, casting it onto a wooden hook by the door, and turned to face his younger brother—his younger associate, he meant. He eyed him up and down, landing on the puddle Tommy’s soaked chestplate and boots were starting to create on the doormat. He sighed.

“Go ahead and take your armor off,” Techno grunted. He didn’t think anything of the statement. Sure, he was a bit blunt, but certainly not unkind. All of that went out the window, though, when he saw the color drain from Tommy’s face until his cheeks matched the snow outside.

“Tommy?” Techno reached out to clap the boy’s shoulder in reassurance, but he ducked away. 

“I’m sorry,” Tommy choked out, tears pricking his eyes. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry! I promise I’ll behave!”

“What? You haven’t done anything wrong,” Techno said. He cautiously attempted to touch the kid, who was shaking like a leaf in autumn, but he recoiled even worse. Techno felt his own heartbeat quicken. “Tommy? Tommy, what’s going on?”

The kid in front of him just crumpled, falling into Techno’s arms. The older boy pulled him closer to his chest, but he was struggling—Tommy was scrabbling desperately at the clasps of his armor, trying to pull it off as fast as possible. 

“Tommy! Tommy, breathe!” Techno commanded. It was no use. 

Tommy finally wrangled himself out of Techno’s grasp, and started scratching frantically at the cool stone floor beneath them. Tears were streaming down his face, and his nails were breaking, staining the bricks with bright crimson blood. Techno looked on, horrified, before grasping Tommy’s hands in his own. 

“Tommy, stop!”

“I have to make a pit, Techie,” he muttered feverishly, voice cracking. “I have to burn it, I have to burn it all...if he sees this he’s going to be so mad, he’s going to hurt me again…” The boy trailed off, making brief eye contact with the older man, before ducking his head away. “I’m not allowed to be here,” he added tearfully. “I’m not allowed to see you. I’ll be in so much trouble when he knows I’m here.”

Techno caught the boy’s chin with his hands, tilting it towards him. “Who, Tommy?” he breathed. “Who did this to you?”

Tommy blinked, tears spilling across his cheeks. 

“Dream,” he whispered, as if terrified he would summon him had he spoken any louder. Techno’s jaw clenched. 

He and Tommy hadn’t left each other on the best of terms. His heart ached thinking about the words the two had exchanged, about how they weren’t brothers—no, they were strangers, acquaintances, though even that was a stretch—certainly, they would never consider one another family again. 

But as he looked at the child in front of him, with bleeding fingertips, mottled bruises across his arms, completely crumbling on the stone floor of his home, he couldn’t bring himself to be angry about any of it. They may not be brothers anymore, but he’d be damned if he didn’t protect Tommy. 

“Oh, Theseus,” he murmured softly. “What did he do to you?”

Ignoring muted protests and weak attempts at squirming out of his grasp, Techno scooped the boy up to carry him to rest. He grimaced; Tommy was far too light. But he’d worry about that in the morning. He’d find out the whole story in the morning. Right now, he needed to take care of the child cradled in his embrace, and get him in a warm bed, away from all of this. 

And when Tommy, tucked in to Techno’s bed, reached out a trembling hand and timidly asked if he could stay? Well, no one had to know. 

The two boys, snuggled warm in a little home in the middle of the tundra, were far from being okay. 

But they had each other, and that had to be enough for now.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------

5.

"Wake up, Techno! It's festival day!"

The poor boy opened his heavy, sleep-ridden eyes to a blonde blob of pure energy bouncing on top of his bed, where he had been peacefully sleeping moments prior. He blinked the fatigue out of his eyes, and pulled his glasses on from his side table, squinting as things came into focus.

Ah. Tommy.

"It is way too early for this," Techno groaned, pulling a pillow over his face and rolling over onto the lovely, Tommy-free side of the bed. The genius move did little to hinder the onslaught targeting him.

"C'mon, Blade! We're going to see Tubbo today!" Tommy beamed wider than Techno had ever seen him. He bounced on the mattress a few more times, radiating such genuine excitement it made Techno’s head hurt. 

He sighed. The pure enthusiasm of the kid in front of him lit up the room to the point that he could rule out the possibility of going back to bed. Techno didn’t mourn the loss too much; he regularly got too little sleep, so he was used to it. 

Besides, it was nice, seeing the kid happy again. He was glad that for all that he went through, he was able to act his regular self in Techno’s house. It had taken a couple weeks, but he was loud and cheery again, and that was certainly worth losing a couple hours of sleep.

"Okay," he grumbled, pulling back his covers, "but if you bug me before I get a tea, I’m evicting you." The younger boy whooped. Techno glared at him, and pointed to the door. “Out.”

“Okay, okay!” The kid skittered to leave the room like a puppy not yet grown into its legs. Techno exhaled, taking in a moment of quiet, before being interrupted for the second time that morning.

Tommy poked his head out from around the doorframe, and announced, “By the way, I already collected all the honey from the hives today." He puffed out his chest. "I know, I know, I'm a great guy. You don't have to say that, big man, but it means a lot that you did." Techno rolled his eyes, but couldn't help the faint smile ghosting the outer edges of his mouth. 

“Thanks, Tommy.” 

A beat passed as Tommy drummed his fingers on his door, taken aback. A shy smile spread across his face. 

“I...Um, I’ll see you at breakfast, yeah?” Techno nodded, clearing his throat awkwardly, then shooed him away with his free hand.

“See you at breakfast, Toms.”

As the older boy changed out of his pajamas into regular clothes, he grinned to himself. Retirement was peaceful, but it certainly wasn't as bright until Tommy came along. 

When he finally got down to the little kitchen, he was met with Tommy’s feet propped on the small spruce table, a mug of hot cocoa in his left hand. He groaned. 

“Tommy, get your nasty gremlin feet off my table.”

“No, I don’t think I will,” Tommy said with a smirk, taking another bite out of the apple in his other hand. Techno’s eyes just about bugged out of his head. 

“Are you eating  _ another golden apple? _ ” Tommy slowed his chewing nervously, but burst into laughter at Techno’s expression. 

“I lost absorption!” 

“Tommy!”

Techno pinched two fingers to his forehead, warding off an oncoming headache. Tommy’s cackles rang through the room. 

“Tommy, you don’t need absorption! It’s the middle of the morning! No one else is here!”

“Well, I ran out from the other gapple, so I needed more!”

“Why would you need absorption? Nothing is happening!”

“I don’t know!” 

Techno sighed deep in his chest before turning around to the kettle to pour himself a mug of tea. He whistled under his breath as he worked.

“And to think I was going to give you a gift this morning.”

Tommy perked up immediately. 

“A gift?”

Techno shrugged, before humming, “I don’t know, I think gifts only go to people who don’t steal my entire supply of golden apples.”

“Techno!”

“Tommy!”

After a few minutes of back and forth bickering, Techno rolled his eyes and walked over to open his ender chest. The mirth on his face dropped to something far more serious. Tommy gulped. 

He rummaged in the chest for a moment, before pulling out a gleaming netherite battleaxe, engraved with its title.

The Axe of Peace.

He set it on the table, before pulling up a chair and sitting down across from the younger boy. Wrinkling his nose, he pushed Tommy’s feet off the table, where they had still resided despite the squabble about them earlier that morning. Tommy immediately fixed his posture, and sat up straight with his hands flat on the polished wood. 

For once, he was quiet, only staring at the weapon in awe.

“Tommy, I want you to have this,” Techno said, patting the side of the axehead. “This is a big responsibility. Are you ready to hold this weapon?”

There was a beat of silence. Tommy swallowed, eyes glinting in the shimmering light of the enchantments. “Yes,” he replied. Techno smiled. 

“Then you’re worthy,” he said simply, standing up. As if completely unfazed by the emotional state of the room, he turned around and began to wipe down the dishes from breakfast. Tommy spluttered.

“I—Techno, are you sure?” The older man quirked an eyebrow.

“I wouldn’t have given it to you if I wasn’t sure, Tommy,” he pointed out. He turned to go back to the chore, but was abruptly grabbed around the middle. 

“Wha—?” Techno looked down to see the boy hugging him like he was the last person on earth. He paused for a moment, unsure of what to do, before awkwardly putting his arms back around his brother—no, his associate, he meant. 

“Thank you, Techno,” Tommy said into his chest, words muffled by his shirt. Techno swallowed. 

“Of course, Tommy.” Techno patted his hair, and waited another minute for the moment to pass, before clearing his throat, a flush covering his cheeks. 

“We should get ready for the festival.” Tommy pulled his sleeve across his nose quickly (why was he doing that?) and nodded in agreement. The two bustled off to different rooms of the house to begin putting on their robes and armor, preparing for a long journey through the tundra to L’Manberg. 

And as they walked together, laughing and teasing one another (seriously, when he said the kid looked like an idiot wearing that oversized turtle helmet, he meant it), Techno felt something warm in his chest. It had become a far more common feeling after Tommy had come to live with him, weird and buzzy, like a reverse asthma attack.

Like instead of a choking, cold absence of air, it was the first breath after drowning.

It felt something like affection. Like compassion.

Like brotherhood.

Techno scoffed at the idea. He didn’t have brothers anymore, he reminded himself. 

Pushing the thought to the back of his head, he continued trudging along south, following his  _ associate _ towards the city he once razed to the ground. 

What could go wrong?

\-------------------------------------------------------------------

+1.

Techno’s head spun.

Things had gone  _ very  _ wrong.

Sweat coated his palms, slicking the chains wrapped around him. His heart was thumping erratically in his chest, but not in the way that poured a buzz into his veins at the prospect of  _ blood, blood for the blood god, give us blood Technoblade _ —no, this wasn’t the thrill of violence. This was something else entirely. 

Why did his lungs feel so tight? His hands, so clammy? Why did his stomach clench like it did when he was a little boy, trying rotten flesh for the first time just for the hell of it?

What was this  _ feeling? _

Techno’s eyes flicked to Tommy’s once more, and his stomach somehow dropped even lower.

There was no warm mirth behind his glassy gaze, no sparkle of mischief. Tommy looked at Techno without a hint of emotion. He might as well have been a stranger.

Why were Techno’s eyes blurry?

_ Oh _ , he thought, swiping at his face hastily,  _ oh. _

Though unfamiliar, he knew the name for this feeling. 

Despair. 

Stone cold despair. 

“Do it, Tommy,” Dream said, interrupting Techno’s swirling inner dialogue. “I’ll forgive you for leaving, but it’s now or never. And if I were you, I wouldn’t want to disappoint me again.” Tommy shrank, visibly flinching at the words, and Techno wanted nothing more than to pull the boy into his arms, away from this evil, and carry him home. 

Techno wanted his associate back. He bit his lip, heart aching, before he finally admitted it to himself. 

Techno wanted his brother back. 

But he couldn’t do anything, enchanted netherite chains too powerful even for the Blood God to break, and so he kneeled, powerless, to his own execution. 

An execution orchestrated by his greatest enemy. 

An execution carried out by his baby brother. 

The rocket launcher quivered in the teenager’s hands. Technoblade smiled grimly. 

It was the very same one that he had used so long ago. How painfully ironic.

He really should stop going to festivals.

“Techno,” Tommy breathed. “I just...Dream has been so good to me. He’s really my only friend, you know? I’m sure you understand.” Technoblade bristled.

“Friend?” he spit. “He’s no friend of yours, Tommy.”   
  
“He’s lying to you, Tommy,” Dream said in a sing-song voice. Emotion began to slip through the cracks of Tommy’s detached expression.

“Dream has my back, Techno,” the boy said uncertainly. “If he’s telling me to do something, it’s for my own good.” Techno shut his eyes tightly and huffed out a breath.

“It’s breaking me that he did this to you, Tommy,” he muttered. Tommy’s breath hitched. His eyes flickered across the older man’s face, and a hint of utter fear shone through, but still, he said nothing. Technoblade’s eyes burned.

“Come home, Theseus,” he said, voice cracking. “Come home.” Tommy sniffled, eyes brimming with tears, and then broke with a muted sob.

“I need him to forgive me,” he whispered. “I can’t...I...Techno, if I don’t behave, things will get so much worse.” Techno bowed his head, a lump in his throat. Tears spilled across his pale blue robes like the salty spray of the sea, shattering his gruff exterior, though he couldn’t even bring himself to care. He had made his decision.

For his family, the world.

“I love you, brother,” he croaked out. Tommy whimpered. 

“Techno…”

The elder brother gently pulled the trembling crossbow to the very center of his forehead. He touched his baby brother’s hands, rubbing his thumb on the back of his wrist, before guiding them to the trigger.

Tommy squeezed his eyes shut, tears leaking out of them like a dam ready to explode. Techno reached up and thumbed them away from his cheeks, crossbow still loaded and pressed against his head. 

“I’m so sorry!” Tommy choked out, voice barely above a whisper. His hands shook hard, like they were windows being rattled in the middle of a hurricane.

The eye of the hurricane wasn’t coming anytime soon.

  
“This has to happen, Theseus,” Techno murmured. “It’ll be okay.” Tears dripped onto the cold blackstone floor, moment charged with nervous energy. Tommy paused, then closed his eyes tight.

Techno set his jaw in determination. One last time—“I love you, Tommy.”

“I love you, too,” Tommy breathed, “brother.”

For just a moment, the room was silent, almost peaceful.

But peace never lasts.

The room exploded into shimmering, bright colors. 

And the youngest brother—the final brother—wept.

**Author's Note:**

> thank you so much for reading, it genuinely means the world!
> 
> i know leaving comments on works can be intimidating, but please please let me know what you thought! i'm always trying to improve, and i read every last one. 
> 
> Also, I just got a twitter! Come and say hi @mintyyfreshtwt :)
> 
> wishing you the best of days, and thanks for stopping by <3


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